The late Tāmaki Makaurau MP Takutai Tarsh Kemp was subjected to "the most despicable behaviour" by Te Pāti Māori leadership, expelled Te Tai Tonga MP Tākuta Ferris claims.
Takutai Tarsh Kemp, who died in June, underwent treatment for kidney disease in the first half of this year.
In an extended interview with RNZ's Mata programme, published on Tuesday, Ferris claimed the leadership of Te Pāti Māori was trying to oust Takutai Tarsh Kemp from her seat in the months leading up to her death.
In response to this and other claims Ferris made in the interview, Te Pāti Māori president John Tamihere declined to comment on what he described as "any matters based on hearsay, innuendo, accusation or insinuation".
Alleged treatment of ailing MP
In June, Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer served out a two-week suspension from Parliament's debating chamber as punishment for performing a haka.
Ferris said the co-leaders were completely absent from Parliament in this period, leaving the remaining four MPs to take on the full weight of the party's responsibilities.
In that period, the MPs agreed an intervention was needed to raise their concerns with the coleaders, but Kemp passed away before that could happen, he said.
And when Kemp passed, a decision was made to take her body to the West Auckland marae, Hoani Waititi, without her parents knowledge. Instead, Ferris said, they learned about it via the radio.
A spokesperson for the Te Pāti Māori co-leaders said "hearsay or speculation" should be directed to Tamihere for a response.
Tākuta Ferris Photo: MATA
Bullying allegations
Ferris claimed the leadership had shown a pattern of bullying his female colleague.
After Kemp's death, Oriini Kaipara won a byelection to replace her as Tāmaki Makaurau MP. Ferris said it had been agreed with Kaipara she could bring her own team onto the Tāmaki Makaurau electorate committee if she won the byelection. But that has not happened - a reflection of the existing committee "bullying" and "standing over" her, Ferris said.
He claimed the current committee was undermining Kaipara's credibility as an MP in order to retain the voting power of Tāmaki Makaurau.
Ferris said a "reset hui" was staged on a day that Oriini Kaipara and her whānau should have been celebrated.
'Ceasefire' hui went awry
According to Ferris, at a three-hour meeting where a ceasefire was called, everyone agreed except the president John Tamihere. He claimed Tamihere instead threatened the Kapa-Kingi family with utu.
Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, who earlier this months was expelled from the party, called the hui for the six MPs to work through issues, Ferris said. But days before, the makeup of the hui changed and the executive council attended, including Tamihere.
Takutai Tarsh Kemp Photo: Supplied/ Te Pāti Māori
Expulsion, aftermath and the future
Ferris said he learnt about his expulsion when he was at a tangi and called the leadership a "pack of mugs".
He still considers himself a member of Te Pāti Māori because the process they used was not robust, he claimed. He said he feels aroha for the party's staffers who he claimed are burnt out because of underperforming leaders.
Te Pāti Māori was obviously suffering reputation damage, and it needed to stop, he said.
Last week, Ferris said he wrote an appeal to the national council to make space to share his, KapaKingi and Kaipara's position but it was completely ignored.
It was back in the people's hands now to save the Te Pāti Māori Kaupapa, he said.
Mata contacted members of the executive council for comment but only received a short response from Tamihere.
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